Unhappy Cichlids

Hay guys.

I need some help. I woke this morning to a very unhappy cichlid. It is not eating, or swimming and seems to have lost some colour. they have been in the tank for a while now(over a month) and they have been very happy. I have not change anything, so i am a little confused on why they dont look happy.

Please help. I dont want it to die :sad2:

 

Did you test your water? How often do you do a water change? What fish are they? You need to complete the questionear

 

Maybe try telling them a joke?

Seriously though, we need more info on your setup, water, what you keep etc.

 

here's a link to the questionnaire - fill in as many details as you can, then perhaps someone can help.

http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?6393-Identifying-Disease-Questionnaire

 

Whats your tank parameters?

Have you added anything recently over the past week/weeks?

What type of cichlid is it?.Larger cichlids are known for their mood swings,especially Oscars.

 

ok my Ph is 7.5 and the temp of the tank is at 25. the nitrate levels are at 12.5mg/l. i have not added or removed anything in the last week. the sick fish is a venustus. i do a 30% water change once a week. there are no plants in the tank. the fish have been living together for over a year with no problems.

 

they look like they have lost colour, not eating and just laying on the bottom of the tank

 

lol, sounds likes it's in the mood for hunting.:idea:
Do you any smaller fish in the tank?

 

lol i hope that is the problem, there are other smaller cichlids but they seem to not be worried by the bigger venustus.

 

You posted a pic of your tank having been re-scaped which looked pretty cloudy. Not sure if that is from moving things around or if it could possibly be an ammonia spike? For me, when in doubt, I do a water change. If something is out of whack or there are toxins/ ammonia etc present in the water, that will immediately help.

I suspect the problem though is that the circulation in your tank is less than adequate, you posted elsewhere about the oily film on the top of your water. This is only present when there is little to no movement on the surface of the water. Get an airstone in there quick or get the surface of the tank moving with your filter outlet or powerhead as soon as you can. Do another water change and dont feed again today.

A Venustus is a very active fish and will be the first to feel a lack of oxygen in the water.

 

I did do the re scape, it was just cloudy from the disturbance of the soil. cause the levels were all fine after the rescape.
i have put an air pump into the tank, and have aimed my filter to disturb the surface a lot. so lets wait and see what happens.

 

Im sure that will sort it out.

 

thank you so much.
I dont wana loss it.

 

How are you fish doing today?

 

they are much happier. Thank you so much. do you think putting a better filter will help. I was looking at a canister filter. I want the tank to be super clear all the time and the fish to look their best. Any suggestions?

 

You can't go ring with a cannister filter.

 

How many litres does your tank hold.

If it's large (more then 300L) then you can even fit 2 medium sized cannisters filters on it.

I have 2x 1200lph cannister filters hooked up to my 400L.

 

the tank is just under 300l. i Thought of getting a canister filter for a 500l tank

 

Yes you can you want a filter that can turn at least 8 times your water per hour. In my view its not the rate of turnover but the filter media and surface area for back terai that the filter can hold. Many good brands out there.